About Helen Fairchild, American Expeditionary Force

Helen Fairchild (November 21, 1885 – January 18, 1918) was an American nurse who served as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, and who became known for her wartime letters to her family in the U.S., which vividly depicted the realities of combat nursing during World War I. She died of post-operative complications after surgery for a gastric ulcer while on duty with British base hospital #10/#16 on the western front.

Born in Turbot Township, Milton, in central Pennsylvania, Fairchild graduated from Pennsylvania Hospital in 1913. Along with 63 other nurses, she volunteered for the American Expeditionary Force to help care for wounded soldiers after the United States entered World War I in April, 1917. After arriving in France, Fairchild volunteered for front-line duty at casualty clearing station #4 at the Third Battle of Ypres on July 22, 1917, where she was exposed to heavy shelling including the use of mustard gas. She served as a combat nurse during the Third Battle of Ypres.

Fairchild had a medical history of abdominal pain, which worsened after her combat experience. By Christmas, 1917 she was vomiting after every meal. X-rays revealed a large gastric ulcer obstructing her pylorus. She underwent surgery for the ulcer on January 13, 1918. At first she recovered well but then lapsed into a coma and died five days later. The post-mortem examination suggested that she died as a result of hepatic complications from the chloroform used as the anesthesia during her operation, possibly worsened by her previous exposure to mustard gas.